The Endless Summer
by Singlefinyellow
Summary: When Elena's parents die in a car accident, she and her brother move to Venice Beach, California to live with their aunt, Jenna. Once she gets there, she makes new friends, get a new hobby, and meets a mysterious new guy with eyes the color of the ocean that she just can't get out of her mind. AU and all human.
1. Chapter 1

Elena sighed as she walked into the baggage claim area of the LAX airport. She could not believe all that had happened in the last few weeks. First, her parents had been killed in a car accident, then she discovered she would be moving away from her home, to Venice Beach, California. She would be living with her aunt Jenna, whom she had never met before, and who hadn't even bothered coming to her parents' funeral. At least her younger brother Jeremy would be with her. In all of this moving around and changing, it was nice to know she would have one thing from her old life that was constant.

Jeremy and Elena found their bags, then walked out of the airport. Once outside, they were greeted by a slender, auburn haired woman holding a sign with their names on it. Elena could only assume this was her aunt Jenna. As soon as the siblings walked over to the woman, she gave them both a grim smile and enveloped them in a large hug. "I am so sorry about your loss," Jenna said, "I hope you can make a home here."

Elena just nodded, while Jeremy stared at her with no emotion on his face. After the accident, Jeremy had become extremely closed off to everyone. The only person he had spoken to was Elena, and even she could count on her fingers the words he had said to her. Elena hoped that this change of scenery would help Jeremy (and herself) heal from their loss.

"Ok, so it is about a 20 minute drive from here to my house- or, our house- but, we may have a little bit of traffic..." Jenna began to ramble on as the three got into the car. Elena tuned her out and dazedly stared out the window. She couldn't focus on Jenna's small talk then. Her mind was flooded with other things. What was her new home like? Would she like her new school? Or make any friends? Her mind was also occupied with Jeremy, and concern for him and whether or not he would like it here. There was also, of course, the lingering thoughts of her parents' deaths, which she thought would stay with her forever.

Suddenly, the whirlwind of thoughts was interrupted by the breaks on Jenna's car indicating they had reached their destination. She got out of the car and saw a shabby little house that reminded her of one of those little beach bungalows you see in travel magazines. It wasn't much, but it had a homey feeling, regardless. Then, Elena looked past the house and saw the ocean. The sand from the beach was literally in the house's back yard, and the view was one of the most beautiful she had ever seen. The sun was setting and casting a beautiful purple-orange color on the waves, and at once Elena started to feel that this place might not be so bad after all...


	2. Chapter 2

After Elena brought her bags inside and halfway unpacked, she decided to go out and take a walk on the beach with Jeremy. "I think I can get used to living here." Elena said to Jeremy, after they had walked down the shore a little ways. Jeremy just nodded his head slightly in response. With that, Elena turned to him, "Tell me what you're thinking," she pleaded.

Jeremy appeared deep in thought for a few moments, clearly choosing his words carefully. "I am thinking that I have I chance to start over, and not be the kid whose parents died. Which is cool, but also pretty scary."

"Why is that?" Elena questioned.

"Because if I become someone else; someone that Mom and Dad never knew; then I feel like I will lose them completely."

Elena didn't respond to this immediately. Instead, she really pondered what her younger sibling had said. Then, something dawned on her. "I don't think you should look at it that way," she said, "I think that by changing, and growing, we are honoring their memory even more. Because we are being strong, the way they taught us to be."

Jeremy looked at his sister with an expression that said he understood what she was saying. The two then fell into a comfortable silence, and sat down in the sand for a while watching the waves crash against the shore. They sat there for quite a while, staring into the distance. Each one was in deep thought about their recent past and their future in Venice Beach. The Gilberts stayed this way until something hurtled into the sand in front of them, wrecking the peaceful atmosphere that had been created.

Startled, Elena looked in front if her and saw a frisbee in the sand, and an apologetic looking guy jogging her way. "I'm so sorry! That was a terrible throw on my part!" They boy said. He looked about her age, with blonde hair, and a ridiculously toned body that Elena did not fail to take note of.

"It's fine! I'm Elena, by the way." Elena said, standing up to shake the boy's hand after brushing the sand off of her shorts.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Matt," said the boy, returning the gesture. "Are you here on vacation?" he asked.

"Actually, my brother Jeremy just moved here to live with our aunt. We got in today."

"Awesome! You are going to love it here. There are awesome waves, and great people... Well, for the most part, but I guess you run into a few jerks everywhere," Matt replied, enthusiastically. "Hey, how old are you guys?"

"Well, I'm 17, and Jeremy is 16. What about you?"

"I'm 17 too! I guess we will all be going to the same school come August then," said Matt.

"Nice, it will be good to have a familiar face there. Hey, do you happen to know if anywhere is hiring workers this summer? I would love to get some work in before school starts," asked Elena.

With that, Matt suddenly looked very excited. "Yes! The shop I'm working at is actually desperately seeking new workers! We just lost two of our crew members and we are super understaffed... I could vouch for you and your brother!"

Elena thought about it briefly, "Where do you work?" She asked.

"Mollusk Surf Shop! It's awesome! You get to meet tons of pro surfers who come in for new boards and stuff... they pay isn't great, but it is something, and the job isn't too hard. You guys could start Monday!"

"Well, if it's that awesome, I guess I'm in!" Elena said, happily. "What about you, Jer?"

Jeremy looked doubtful, but he could tell how excited his sister was, so he just went with it. Plus, working certainly beat sitting in the house all summer with an aunt he hardly knew. "Yeah, sure. Sounds good."

"Sweet!" Matt said, "Alaric is going to be so stoked. He has been freaking out about us needing a larger staff."

"Who's Alaric?" asked Jeremy.

"He's the owner. He opened the shop about 10 years ago. He is really cool- you know- for an old guy."

Suddenly, the trio's conversation was interrupted by someone shouting, "Hey, Matt, what is taking so long?!" The three looked up to see a deeply tanned young man with dark hair and eyes. He was looking on the group with a questioning and impatient look.

"I'm so sorry, man! I got so caught up in a conversation I completely forgot to throw the frisbee back to you!" Matt explained to his friend, with whom he had apparently been throwing the frisbee earlier. "This is Elena and her brother Jeremy. They just moved here and are going to be working at Mollusk with me this summer."

"Sweet. You guys could use the extra help. I'm Tyler, by the way," the guy said, extending his hand to Jeremy and Elena. "Listen man, I'm starving. Can we go get something to eat at Kelly's? You guys are welcome to come."

"What is Kelly's? Is that someone's house?" questioned Jeremy.

"Nah, it's a Jamaican restaurant... It is pretty much the best food ever. Are you guys in?" answered Matt.

"Yeah, I could eat!" replied Elena.

The group then made their way to Kelly's, which was about a 15 minute walk from where they were on the beach. Elena and Jeremy answered typical questions people got when they moved; where did you move from?, is it really different from back home?, and of course, the kicker, why did you move here? When Elena explained what had happened to their parents, Tyler instantly looked a little bit uncomfortable, like most kids did when they heard the story. It was natural. I mean, how do you react to that? Matt, however, was different. As soon as he found out, he simply looked at both Elena and Jeremy and said that he was sorry. When Elena heard it, she knew instantly that her and Matt would be close. When he said sorry, he didn't say it out of obligation, like most people do when they hear a loved one has been lost. When Elena looked at Matt, she could tell that he truly was sorry.

After they got to the restaurant, the group got their food and sat down. They spent to meal chatting, and goofing off. For the first time since her parents' died, Elena saw Jeremy smiling and laughing. With that, she felt a surge of hope. She had been here a day, and already she had found a good place to eat, made two friends, gotten a job, and Jeremy was slightly on the way back to normal. Things were certainly looking up, and for the first time in a while, Elena actually felt happy. Maybe moving to California wouldn't be so bad. 


	3. Chapter 3

Elena's alarm went off early Monday morning and for a brief moment she regretted taking the job at the surf shop. It sure was going to be hard to wake up this early each morning of her summer. Regardless, she got up, hopped into the shower, and started her day. By the time she had gotten dressed and dried her hair, Jeremy was at the kitchen table eating breakfast. "Are you ready?" she asked him.

"I guess I'm ready as I will ever be," Jeremy responded. With that, the two headed out. Instead of dealing with the traffic, they both rode their bikes to the store, and it was a very short trip there. When they arrived, they hesitantly walked into the door. Matt was inside waiting for them.

"Hey guys! Are you excited for your first day of work?" he asked, in a very chipper voice.

"Oh yeah," responded Elena, tiredly.

"Ok, so this is the shop. I guess I can go ahead and start showing you the ropes. Alaric should be here soon... He is normally a little late. You know, he's not really a morning person," said Matt as he began to show them around. He showed them the back room, how to work the cash register, and basically all of the other things they would need to know. By the time they finished, the little bell over the door rang and Elena looked over at the door to see a man, who looked to be in his mid thirties, walking into the door. He had on Ray ban sunglasses and in his hand he was holding a gigantic cup of coffee.

"Good morning guys," he said, quite groggily. "Sorry I am a bit late, I had a hard time getting out of bed this morning." He then looked to the two new comers, "you must be Elena and Jeremy. Nice to meet you guys, we are happy to have you. I'm Alaric."

"Nice to meet you too, Alaric," Elena responded, kindly. This was not really the kind of guy she expected. Most people she knew who were business owners back home were very uptight, but Alaric seemed extremely relaxed.

After the crew had been there for about an hour, they had their first customer. As he walked through the store, Elena took the opportunity to check him out. He had extremely dark black hair and bluer eyes than she had ever seen. Elena decided that he was probably around two years older than herself. Matt looked over at Elena and saw she was looking at him.

"Ugh- remember how I said there were a few jerks in town yesterday? Well he's one of them." Matt said.

"Really? What did he do?" questioned Elena.

"Well, not only is he an extreme womanizer, he also talks to hardly anyone. He graduated last year, and I don't think he had a single friend. It wasn't like he tried to have friends and failed either. He just thinks he is better than everyone else."

"I find that hard to believe," said a skeptical Elena.

"Just wait until you meet him," retorted Matt, "you will change your mind soon enough." With that, Matt walked away to finish a display case he had been working on. Elena continued to watch to mystery guy. He came to the counter and put something down for her to ring up. When she saw it, she wrinkled her nose.  
"Sex wax? What the heck is that?" she asked.  
They guy looked at her with a mischievous look and said, "it's the best for your stick," with a wink. Then, sensing he made her uncomfortable, he said "Umm... You work in a surf shop. Do you not surf?"

"No... I just moved here last week, and it was the first time I had ever seen the ocean before. Why? What does it have to do with surfing?"

"Sex wax is a brand of surf wax. You rub it on your board to increase traction so your feet don't slide when you stand up... Why would you move to a beach town when you know nothing about surfing or the ocean?" he asked, with a judgmental air about him.

"A few weeks ago my parents died, so my brother and I moved here with our aunt." I said, my voice slightly shaky, as it always was when I told this story. The guy's eyes instantly softened. She could tell he felt bad for making fun of her.

The guy cleared his throat after a few seconds and looked at her. "I'm really sorry for your loss," he said, "I know what it is like to lose a parent. My mom died a few years back."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Elena said, sincerely.

"Thanks. I'm Damon by the way. Damon Salvatore." he said, extending an arm to her.

"I'm Elena Gilbert. It's nice to meet you Damon." With that, she rung him up, put his purchase in a bag, and handed it to him with a, "have a nice day!" Damon looked at her and smiled. He walked over to the door, but before opening it, he paused and turned to say something.

"It gets better, Elena, I promise," he said.

"What does?" she asked, not understanding.

"The pain. Of losing someone. It never goes away, but it does get better." And with that, he put on his black ray bans and walked out of the store. Elena was shocked. She had been told that this guy was a jerk, but she didn't see that in him. He was a little vulgar at first maybe, but when she talked to him, she saw someone that was caring and sincere. She was very intrigued. 


	4. Chapter 4

When Damon got out of the store, he shook his head. He didn't know why he had just opened up to this girl that he hardly knew. He was Damon Salvatore. He didn't open up to people. He didn't care about people. When you care about people, they wind up dead leaving you, whether that means leaving town or dying, and Damon didn't want to put himself in that position to hurt ever again. He got into his car, which was an old, powder blue bronco with a removable top. He had his board with him, and he was wearing board shorts, so he figured he might as well go and catch a few waves. He hadn't been planning on paddling out this morning, because the swell was pretty bad and he would most likely just be sitting in the water waiting for a big wave that would never come, but he had to get out there. Whenever something was troubling Damon, he always took to the ocean. The gentle rock of the currents always calmed him down, and he could always be alone there if he paddled out far enough.

Once he got into the ocean, Damon instantly felt a little bit better. He sat on his board for a little while and tried to clear his mind, but it kept going back to the girl he had met. _Elena. _She was beautiful. And kind. He didn't know what it was, but there was something special about her. Even though his philosophy had always been not to let people get to close so he didn't get hurt, he felt as if it would be worth it to get to know Elena.

Meanwhile, back at the shop, Elena was getting the hang of things. The day was now half way over and she had helped out several customers. She looked at the clock and saw that it was 12:30 and decided it was time for her lunch break. She sat on a picnic bench outside of the store and began eating a turkey sandwich that Jenna had made for her. She had to admit, even though she had just met Jenna for the first time a few days ago, she was beginning to really like her aunt. Sure, Jenna didn't have the whole mothering thing down, but at least she was trying, and that made her ok in Elena's book. Elena's train of thought was broken when Matt sat down next to her. Alaric had put him and Jeremy to work in the back room, so she hadn't seen him since their conversation about Damon this morning. "How's the first day going?" he asked, in a friendly voice. Matt always seemed to be in a good mood, which Elena liked about him. She needed someone like that in her life.

"So far so good. I think I am going to like working here. All of the people who come in are really friendly and laid back. I like that."

"Yeah, our customers are pretty cool for the most part. And you already met the worst one this morning. It's a shame that your first customer wasn't a nice person." Matt said. There he goes again, thought Elena, talking bad about Damon. She just didn't get it.

"I don't understand what your problem with Damon is. He seemed sweet. We had a pretty good conversation when he came in." Elena said, hoping to change Matt's mind about Damon. It was weird. She had just met him, and yet, she felt like she needed to protect him somehow.

"You had a conversation with _Damon Salvatore_?! I don't think I know anyone who has talked to him about anything for more than a few seconds. He never says more than two words to anybody!" Matt exclaimed in disbelief. "What did you guys even talk about?"

"Losing people we love." Elena stated simply.

With that, Matt stopped talking for a minute. He actually understood what was going on. Of course Elena and Damon got along with one another, they identified with each other. They had both lost people that they loved. Briefly, he thought of Damon in a new light. Instead of seeing him as a cold and emotionless womanizer, he saw him as an actual person with feelings. However, he then remembered all of the snarky comments Damon had made over the years and all of the girls he had used then thrown away, and Matt's feelings of understanding quickly went away. He could see that Elena had made up her mind to like him though, so he changed the subject. "So, do you have any plans for tonight?" he asked.

"I'm actually thinking of staying in and watching a movie with Jeremy. You can come if you want! Tyler too," she responded.

"I don't know… are you choosing the movie? I don't want to get stuck watching some chick flick or something."

"Have no fear. I would never make you watch a chick flick. I hate them. Except _the Princess Bride_. I will always love that movie." said Elena.

"Yeah, that movie is good. Well, I guess if it isn't going to be a chick flick, then I'm in. I'm assuming Tyler will be too, he likes you guys," conceded Matt.

"Sweet! Sounds like a plan!" said Elena, happily. She glanced down at her watch and realized that her lunch break was over and said, "Well, I guess I should get back to work! I will see you at my house tonight at 8!" and with that she walked back into the store for the second half of the day.

The rest of the day went by quickly, and before Elena knew it, she was back at her new home and waiting for Tyler and Matt to get there. Jeremy was sitting on the couch exhausted. While Elena had been working the register all day, Matt and Jeremy had been unloading a shipment of new surfboards. It had been hard work. "What time are they supposed to get here?" he asked, and immediately after, the doorbell rang. Elena ran to answer it.

"Hey guys! How's it going?" she asked.

"Well, since I last saw you two hours ago, things have been going fine," Matt said with a laugh. Elena jokingly punched his arm.

"That question was more directed towards Tyler, you smart alec," she laughed.

"It's going pretty well. I pretty much just spent the day on the beach, so I can't complain." Tyler responded as the three made their way to the living room where Jeremy was resting on the couch. At the sight of him, Matt let out a chuckle.

"Moving those boards gets a lot easier after a while, man. I promise," he said, while plopping down on the couch next to Jeremy.

"So, what are we watching?" Tyler asked.

With a smile, Elena held up the box to _Good Will Hunting_. "Only the greatest story of our generation," she said as the guys all nodded in agreement. She put in the DVD and sat down next to Tyler on the couch. As the opening credits came on, Elena hid the smile on her face. Not only was she watching a movie, she was with friends, and she felt incredibly happy.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! Here is the next chapter! I just want to say a quick thanks to those of you who took the time to review; siberia21**** and ****dobrevafire****! This is my first story, so I really appreciate any feedback that I get! Thanks so much for reading, and I hope you enjoy this chapter! **

After Elena had been working at Mollusk Surf Shop for about a week and a half, her body had finally gotten into the groove of waking up at the crack of dawn. In fact, on Wednesday morning, she had no trouble hopping out of bed. She hadn't expected it, but she loved working at the store. Her boss Alaric was kind and funny, and more laid back than any boss she'd ever seen. Matt, Jeremy, and Elena always had fun chatting in the shop and her "work" there didn't feel like work at all.

Elena had not had any further encounters with Damon after the first day, and he had slipped her mind for the most part. However, at random times, like when the ocean water looked the same color as his eyes, he would pop into her head, and she would hide a smile. She didn't know why this guy she talked to for a few minutes had such an effect on her, but she decided to ignore the feelings and focus on her new friendships with Matt and Tyler.

It was slow at the shop that day, so Elena decided to take her brake a little bit early. It was raining outside, so she opted to eat her lunch in the back room. While she was eating her sandwich, she had the radio playing in the back ground. She wasn't paying too much attention to it until she heard something that pulled in all of her attention. "The couple was killed instantly in the automobile collision," the broadcaster said. For the first time since she had gotten to California, Elena felt the emotion of her parents' death welling up inside of her. A few tears escaped and began to roll down her cheeks as she remembered the night of the accident. Before she had a chance to wipe them away, Alaric walked into the room.

"Hey, Elena, after your break is over, can I get you to…" he stopped short when he saw that she was crying. "Is everything ok?" he asked, concern filling his eyes.

"Yeah… I just heard about a car accident on the radio and it made me think of my parents. They passed away in an accident recently," she said. When Alaric heard this, sympathy washed over his face and he sat down next to her.

He put his arm on her shoulder. "I won't say that I know how you feel, because I don't. Everyone feels loss differently. I will tell you that I have experienced loss as well, and I know that it is hard to get through. My wife went missing a few years ago," he said, his voice filled with empathy.

"I'm really sorry to hear that," Elena said genuinely.

"I'm sorry about your parents as well," Alaric responded. "Are you good to work the rest of the day? You can take off if you don't feel up to it."

"I'm fine," Elena said, "besides, whenever you are upset about something, it is always better to get up and do something. It keeps you from dwelling on it."

Alaric appeared deep in thought after her comment. "Ok, so be it," he said. "Can I get you to cover the register then? I have a few errands I need to run, and I need Matt and Jeremy to do some cataloguing back here."

"Sure thing," Elena said, standing up and throwing away the remains of her lunch. With the news report, she had lost the rest of her appetite.

The rest of the day, Elena encountered hardly any customers. Clearly, people were wanting to stay inside on a rainy day like this. About ten minutes to closing time, Alaric burst through the doors with a pleased look on his face. He pointed at Elena, "I have something for you," he said, "put your rain jacket on and come outside with me." She was very suspicious as to what he was up to, but she followed him out any way, curious as to what he had in store. Once they were outside, Alaric stopped at his truck and pointed at the truck bed. Laying there was a very worn looking surf board. "This is for you," he said, looking excited.

"Alaric, did you hit your head? You do remember I don't surf, right?" Elena asked, curious as to why he would give her something she had no earthly idea how to use.

"I know, Elena. But I really think you should learn. Today, when I was talking to you, you reminded me of myself. When my wife Isobel went missing, I had the same philosophy as you with how to deal with grief. I put all of my energy into this shop and made sure that I was always doing something. That way I wouldn't have to dwell on what I was feeling. After a while though, I realized that what I was doing wasn't right. Sure, being busy all the time kept me from dealing with Isobel, but it also kept me from overcoming my grief and moving on. If you keep all of this grief over your parents bottled up inside, you will never be able to start living again, and I didn't know your parents, but I don't think they would want that for you."

"Ok... But what does any of this have to do with learning to surf?" Elena asked, very skeptically.

"Well," began Alaric, "after Isobel, I stopped surfing. I channeled every waking moment onto working on the shop, and wound up super exhausted and depressed. You see, I never dealt with losing her. Then one morning, I woke up and the waves looked so perfect, I had to get out there. I started surfing again, and it provided the release that I needed to move on. There is something super cathartic about being in the water, facing rough waters and big waves, and then conquering them. It makes you feel like you can defeat anything… even hard circumstances."

After Alaric finished talking, Elena stayed silent for a few seconds. She had several emotions at that moment. She of course had the ever present feeling of sadness about her parents, but that feeling was joined by a feeling of gratitude. She was touched that Alaric, her boss whom she had just met a little over a week ago, cared this much about how she was feeling. She also felt uncertain. She had no idea how to surf, so she would not have the slightest idea how to use it, but she couldn't not accept such a kind gesture. "I know what you are thinking," stated Alaric. "You are thinking that it won't do anything for you because you don't surf. That's why I want you to have this board. It's the one that I learned on as a kid, so I am sure you will be able to work with it."

With this new information, Elena felt even more touched. Not only had Alaric opened up to her, but he had also given her something that clearly meant a lot to him personally. "Are you sure about this?" she asked.

"I'm positive," Alaric said. "Now let's get back inside and out of this rain." The two began walking back inside, but just outside of the door, Elena paused and turned to Alaric.

"Why did you do all of this for me?" Elena questioned.

"When I look at you, I see a lot of characteristics of the person I have always wanted to be. You are kind, smart, determined, and you care about the people you love. I admire that a lot, and a person like that doesn't deserve to feel the grief that I know you are feeling." Elena felt a lump in her throat and she gave Alaric a big hug. The two walked back into the store and saw Matt and Jeremy were getting the store ready for closing. "Oh, Elena, you have the day off tomorrow," said Alaric. Matt looked up in surprise,

"What?! I've been working here for over a year and you have never voluntarily given me the day off before," Matt protested.

"Well," explained Alaric, "Elena has a more important job to do tomorrow. She is learning how to surf." When Jeremy heard this, he looked up with a confused look on his face.

"I didn't know you wanted to surf? What brought this on?" Jeremy asked.

"Well, Alaric talked me into it. Who knows, I may be a surfing prodigy," Elena said jokingly.

"Yeah, that sounds _really_ likely," Jeremy responded, sarcastically.

The next morning, Elena woke up at the same time she normally did for work, put on her simple black two piece bathing suit and some flip flops, and headed out the door. She grabbed her board and walked about half a mile to a really secluded part of the beach. Her goal was to find the least populated stretch of sand so that she would not make a fool of herself in front of too many accomplished surfers. She paddled out into the ocean and tried to clumsily stand up on a few waves to no avail. Before she knew it, her lungs were burning and her arms felt like noodles. She was about to give up and head in when a huge wave suddenly came and swept her under the water. Elena tried to swim back to the surface, but she was caught in the rip tide and kept getting pushed under.

Elena tried not to panic and instead, to find a way out, but she was quickly beginning to freak out. Just when she felt she could not hold her breath any longer, she was pulled to the surface by a pair of strong arms. She gasped in the fresh air and coughed a few times, then looked at the face of her savior. The eyes looking back at her were ice blue, and Elena realized she was looking at the face of none other than Damon Salvatore.

**I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Please review and let me know what you think **

**-Singlefinyellow**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi guys! I'm glad you like the story so far! Thanks to my reviewers: DEConsumesMe****, ****sharpie78****, and ****siberia21****! They are really encouraging! And to answer your question sharpie78, I am not 100% sure how long this story will be… it is just an idea that I had in my head for a while and wanted to get out, but I don't know how long it will be when I actually write it out! **

**Without further ado, here is the next chapter! I hope you enjoy it!**

Elena looked into Damon's eyes, dazed, for what felt like an eternity, but really was likely only a minute or two. Finally, she was able to choke out some words, "You saved me," she said. He didn't say anything in response, and instead just grabbed her hand and helped her get to shore. Once on the sand, he looked up with anger in his eyes.

"What is wrong with you?!" he demanded, his voice full of ire. "Why were you out there? You have no idea what you are doing out there. You could have drowned!"

"I just wanted to learn how to surf," Elena explained.

"If you want to learn how to surf, you go to a part of the beach with small waves and a lot of people. That way if anything happens, you are safe. The waves here are huge, and there is no one to save you. If I hadn't happened to walk up right when you went under the water, you wouldn't be here right now," Damon yelled. "Why did you even want to learn how to surf anyway?"

"For catharsis. I want to be able to deal with my grief instead of bottling it up, and I hear that surfing is the way to do that," Elena explained, in a steady voice, hoping to calm Damon down. When he heard this, Damon was taken by surprise. He didn't expect this. Normally, when people decide to learn how to surf it is for shallow reasons. They want to fit in and seem cool. However, his reason for surfing had always been to deal with the things he couldn't handle on his own that the world threw at him. Maybe he and Elena were more similar than he thought. It sure would be nice to have someone to share surfing with. Then he shook those thoughts out of his head. No. He wouldn't let himself get close to this girl. It would only lead to more pain.

His thoughts were interrupted by Elena's voice, "Do you think you could teach me? You know, how to surf," she questioned, almost sounding nervous.

"No. Absolutely not," he said, wanting to make it clear he did not want anything to do with her. It was better that way. Then he wouldn't get attached. "You have already shown today that you don't have what it takes. I won't help someone who willingly puts her life in danger." And like that, he turned and walked away. He left Elena standing there on the beach alone and got into his car.

Once he got in however, he didn't turn on the ignition immediately. Instead, he just sat there, convincing himself that he had done the right thing. Finally, he cranked on the engine of his car and drove home. He knew his father would be at the office right now, which he was thankful for. He couldn't stand the disapproving looks his dad gave him whenever Damon walked in the door. Damon went upstairs and hopped in the shower. Afterwards, he laid on his bed, staring off into space, trying desperately not to think about Elena. He knew he had done the best thing—the safest thing—for himself, but why did he feel so guilty about it?

Suddenly, there was a knock on Damon's door, and he looked up to see his brother Stephan. Stephan was 17, and two years younger than Damon, but sometimes Damon felt like the younger brother. Stephan was always logical and mature in his decisions, which annoyed Damon to no end. However, Stephan was also the one person that had always been there for Damon, and because of that, he was the only person Damon trusted. "What's wrong?" Stephan questioned, instantly being able to tell that something was on Damon's mind.

"Nothing, just go away," Damon replied, not feeling like talking about it.

"Come on… I know a sulking Damon when I see one. I'm not going to leave until you tell me what's wrong." Stephan said, taking a seat on the end of Damon's bed.

Damon huffed loudly, knowing that Stephan was telling the truth. He would keep nagging until Damon finally came clean, so Damon figured it would be best to finally get it over with. "Well, I met a girl," Damon began, and Stephan instantly felt surprise. Damon hadn't shown any interest in anyone since Katherine, so this was already a huge step forward. Then Damon recounted the whole story of how he had saved Elena, how she asked him to teach her to surf, and how he had refused. "There is no point in me getting close to her. She will just leave, and I don't want to go through that again. I can't go through that again," he finished.

"Well, I think you have _great_ philosophy, Damon," Stephan said with a sarcastic tone, "I mean, with that thought process, you will go through the whole rest of your life without ever really getting to know anyone." Damon thought about what Stephan had said, then Stephan began again, "Do you really want to be alone for the rest of your life? Because sure, you won't be in any danger of being left behind, but if you are just going it alone, are you really even living? Just think about that." With that, Stephan stood up and left the room. He had some thinking to do. Stephan had made some really good points.

After the event at the beach, Elena began to walk home. She couldn't believe everything that had just happened. She couldn't believe that she had come so close to drowning, or that Damon had saved her, or his cold reception to her asking for his help. Once she got home, she took a shower, then decided to go in to work anyway. Even though she had the whole day off, she figured it would be good to get some hours in since she was done with trying to surf for the day.

When she showed up to work, Matt, Jeremy and Alaric all looked up in surprise. "What are you doing here?" questioned Alaric, "you are supposed to be out on the water right now!"

"Yeah, I had a little bit of a rough time out there… I got caught in a rip tide. Luckily, Damon was there and he helped me get out of the water, but it kind of made me want to be done with surfing for the day," Elena explained.

"Elena, I'm so sorry! I wouldn't have sent you out there if I had thought you were going to be in danger! I hope that this hasn't ruined surfing for you," Alaric said, sounding guilty.

"It's totally fine! It isn't your fault! And besides, you didn't ruin surfing for me at all. In fact, you made me more determined to learn than ever. I know if I work hard, I can get it down," Elena said, reassuring Alaric.

"Wait a minute," Matt chimed in. "Did you say that Damon pulled you to shore? What was he doing there?"

"He just happened to walk up in time to see me go under. I was really lucky. Although, he wasn't happy with me afterwards," she explained.

"Damon isn't ever happy with anyone, don't worry about it," Matt consoled Elena. After their conversation, Alaric allowed Elena to get to work. About an hour went by, and then Elena heard the bell above the door chime. Elena looked up, and to her surprise, she saw Damon standing in the door way. Damon scanned the store and when his eyes fell on her, he walked over to her.

"I'll do it." Damon said.

"You'll do what?" Elena asked.

"I'll teach you to surf. Meet me on the beach tomorrow morning at 6," he said.

"Six?!" Elena exclaimed.

"Hey, do want to surf, or not?" Damon asked.

"I do," said Elena.

"Then I will see you at six," retorted Damon, and with that he left, leaving behind a surprised looking Elena.

**I hope you guys liked it! I know that Damon and Stephan have a very different relationship in this story than in the show, but I figured, they were super close when they were human on the show, so it would make sense if they were close in this! Please review **


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